The Dark Forest Battles
by shel-belle
Summary: The line between the dream and real world is gone. The battle has begun and Jayfeather, Dovewing, and Lionblaze try to defend the Clans. Takes place after some time after Night Whispers/Sign of the Moon. My first fanfic! EDITED.


**Disclaimer: I don't own the Warriors; Erin Hunter does.**

* * *

"Lionblaze. Just..." The gray she-cat shook her head again, something she'd done repeatedly during that night. "I don't know anymore. Do what feels right... But really think about what I just said. Okay?"

Lionblaze nodded slowly, mentally replaying all she had told him. There was one thing she'd said, though, that strangely worried him. What she said in itself was purely innocent and good-intentioned, but something was off. The air was too heavy, almost suffocating him. Or maybe it was just that he refused to admit to himself some things regarding Cinderheart and himself. He suddenly yawned and abruptly noticed how tired he was. Lionblaze contented himself with the thought that he would need to be well-rested when the Dark Forest fighting really started and curled up to sleep right then and there.

_THUD._

Lionblaze flung off his attacker, alert and ready to attack, even though it seemed as if he'd just closed his eyes. His Clan needed him and he wasn't going to disappoint them. With sudden strength he managed to pin down his attacker. "You," Lionblaze snarled, springing backwards from shock. The cat escaped his claws and, suddenly, their roles were reversed.

"Yes, it _is_ me and I'm here to destroy what's left of ThunderClan."

. . .

Jayfeather checked on his stores again, mentally noting what needed to be restocked. He carefully put each herb away, setting out the old ones aside by his den heard something behind him and reached his senses out to Briarlight who was apparently in a deep sleep and dreaming about catching mice. He quickly slipped out of her dream and shook himself awake. The medicine cat pricked his ears, the bundle of old herbs in his jaws so as not to seem suspicious to his unwanted visitor.

A twig snapped this time.

There was definitely something slinking in the undergrowth behind him. Jayfeather walked further out in the forest, grip unconsciously tightening on the herbs. He scented the air carefully, trying to identify the cat trailing him.

Suddenly, claws tore through his side, forcing him to yowl in pain. Jayfeather felt his head being pushed into the ground but he _couldn't move_. He closed his eyes in frustration - it was all over and he had come so _close_.

. . .

Dovewing was sitting vigil after her warrior ceremony with her sister, Ivypool. Her sister was sitting stiffly, eyes opened too wide. She was always so tired these days, Dovewing thought sadly. If Ivypool did accidentally fall asleep, it wouldn't _really _be her fault. She was spying for the good of the entire Clan. Speaking of spying... Dovewing sighed and made her senses travel throughout the ThunderClan territory and abruptly stopping at the forest. She re-scanned it twice to make sure. She tried to venture a bit deeper. Confusion clouded her mind. She felt her senses being pushed back toward the camp. All she really understood was that something was wrong. Horribly wrong.

. . .

_This can't be happening, _Lionblaze thought._ This is just a dream. _But he was pretty sure it wasn't.

Lionblaze felt claws breaking through his skin as the tom threw him across the clearing. He flew back into the battle, knocking the tom into the oak tree behind him.

"Tigerstar, get out of here," Lionblaze spat.

"Oh, I will," Tigerstar purred. "Just not now."

He vanished into the shadowed trees. Lionblaze hesitated a moment, then sprinted after Tigerstar, full-speed, only to run into another cat, almost the exact replica of the other cat, only with ice blue eyes instead of amber.

The newcomer opened his jaws, lazily dragging his tongue across his drawn-back lips, "Going somewhere?"

. . .

A sweet scent filled his nostrils. "Spottedleaf," he begged. "Please help me."

"Jayfeather, it isn't your time yet." She paused. When she opened her mouth again, other voices joined in. "We shouldn't do this but we will. We grant you another life. Use it wisely," Spottedleaf meowed.

Jayfeather felt power surging under his pelt. He blinked open his eyes; it was dark.

. . .

Dovewing raced into the trees with Ivypool hard on her heels. She skidded to a stop right before she crashed into a huge tom. "Sorry!" she squeaked out of habit, feeling her pelt heat up in mortification. She wasn't supposed to be polite to her enemy!

The tom ignored her, meowing calmly, "Kill her, Ivypool."

Without saying another word, he vanished into the shadows and silently continued into the heart of ThunderClan territory.

Ivypool hesitated before unsheathing her claws. She rounded on her sister with regret in her eyes.

_I'm sorry_, she mouthed, still not breaking her vigil.

Ivypool lunged forward only to be thrust aside by a cat with unkempt fur. The cat leapt forward ready to kill to protect Dovewing.

Another cat came forward, crooked tail grazing the blood-stained dirt, and meowed mockingly, "Hello, Mother."

. . .

Leafpool padded tensely into the forest with Squirrelflight just behind her. "Jayfeather? I heard you out- _Nooo_," she moaned, sounding heartbroken. "What _happened_?" _My son is gone..._

"Leafpool, what's wrong?" Squirrelflight squeaked, sounding like a frightened kit again. Her sister wasn't anything but solemn these days. Something truly horrendous must've happened to evoke such a reaction. "Leafpool, are you okay?" Then her gaze fell to Jayfeather's lifeless body. She wailed.

. . .

Lionblaze glanced around, heart racing and the adrenaline still pumping in his blood, and saw that the two other cats were with the tom. He wondered grimly how strong that power of his really was. Three against one.

"Meet my accomplices, Shredtail and Sparrowfeather," the tom meowed.

He noticed the three closing in on him and snarled out another threat, "Get out of here, Hawkfrost." Lionblaze's mew was taut with anger but it did nothing to really help.

"Now why would I do that?" Hawkfrost said smoothly, baring his teeth in a feral grin.

. . .

Leafpool stared numbly at her son for a while before mechanically cleaning the blood from his unmoving body. Squirrelflight joined her. The former medicine cat suddenly stilled, amber eyes fixed on a seemingly moving shadow. It was a distinctive tabby gray and had hauntingly familiar blue eyes. It paused to stare at her for a moment and with all her willpower, Leafpool didn't run. The shadow slunk into Jayfeather's body; Leafpool held her breath, praying to StarClan that she wasn't just seeing things.

Jayfeather started to stir, glazed eyes already opened and darting around everywhere in terror. "Where am I?" he rasped, struggling for breath.

"You're alive!" Squirrelflight exclaimed, touching her nose to his ripped flank, disbelieving.

Jayfeather watched her curiously but didn't stop her.

Leafpool sprinted back to camp in record time, collected the correct herbs and began mixing and chewing them up for the run back. Her mouth never stopped chewing, so, miraculously, the poultice was ready to be applied the heartbeat she returned. Squirrelflight took half and gently applied it to Jayfeather's wounds. Her sister was gently persuading her former apprentice to swallow some herbs.

"So it wasn't just a dream," Jayfeather murmured slowly, feeling his eyes sliding shut again in effect of the poppy seeds. Somehow, he knew sleeping was not the best place for him to be.

. . .

Lionblaze slowly backed away from the three cats as they pushed forward. _What am I going to do? _His eyes closed for a heartbeat as he prepared himself to lunge forward and hopefully not die. He was suitably terrified.

Suddenly, there was a loud caterwaul and two cats leapt from the trees overhead. They knocked Shredtail and Sparrowfeather away. Lionblaze attacked Hawkfrost while he was momentarily stunned by the attack. Lionblaze drove the three cats towards the abandoned twoleg nest with the help of two new cats that entered the battle. Hawkfrost and his cats twisted around and climbed up to the roof of the nest fluidly, practically flying through the air. They began to jump from tree to tree back to ThunderClan camp.

Lionblaze tried to follow in pursuit but Hawkfrost had dislodged a branch as he jumped across. The branch was falling toward Lionblaze, threatening to claim his life. He panicked, frozen stiff.

The blue-furred cat that had joined the battle pushed him away just before the branch could crash into him.

"Thanks," Lionblaze panted, staring wide-eyed at the mass of shattered splinters from his new position. "Thanks," he said again, feeling like he owed her much more.

"I am Bluestar and this is Lionheart," the cat meowed, "we came to warn Firestar about the Dark Forest cats. They're here to destroy ThunderClan and shred it until nothing is left."

. . .

Dovewing screamed, clawing at her ears frantically.

Ivypool froze. "Dovewing? What's the matter? What's happening?" She didn't care about her vigil nearly as much as before. "Dovewing!"

Her sister went completely limp, jaws still parted in screaming terror.

. . .

Jayfeather ran, the world turning red before his very eyes. It was chillingly _red_, varying on in shades darker and darker. His mouth opened and he sucked in air frantically, scenting nothing other than coppery bitterness. It was worse than being blind - he could see _but only red_, he could smell _but only blood_, he could feel _but only cold._

He was handicapped and helpless. But there was nothing that could be done about it.


End file.
